Sister Circles

From the 43rd Ward RS Presidency

Hello Sisters!

Happy New Year! We love the feeling of renewal that comes every January bringing hope, a fresh perspective, and starting anew. 

We hope you were able to hear our Bishop’s inspired message at yesterday’s Ward Conference. He talked about striving to be one of Christ’s chosen by striving to walk with Christ every day. The other point that resonated with us is the idea of doing things “a little different.”  

As a presidency, we have been trying very hard to figure out how to serve you during these crazy times. Something we’ve thought much about is ministering. Are we ministering? Are we doing it right? Are we doing too much? Are we doing too little?  We’ve talked with sisters in other wards inquiring about their experiences with ministering and gained a lot of insight and ideas. After much prayerful consideration and approval from our leadership, we have decided to try something that a few other wards have piloted with much success. It looks quite a bit different from our current methods of ministering. Stay with us for a minute. As we received information from all of you, we realized that many of you need something very different due to the very different circumstances that we find ourselves in. Ministering is supposed to be done differently now. We are supposed to listen to the spirit and follow our hearts, not check off a box. So why are we trying to do it differently, but in the same way? Henry Ford said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” Albert Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” We are going to do something different!

Hold on tight!

You no longer have a ministering partner, and you will no longer be assigned 2-3 sisters that you are to “check up on.” We have made ministering groups, something we are calling “Sister Circles.” We have carefully and prayerfully considered how to organize our new sisters circles. You will have a group of 5-8 sisters and you will have a group leader. These are your sisters. You have something to give to these ladies. There is someone in this group that only you can support in some way that you maybe don’t even understand yet. There is a work here that only you can do. As Sheri Dew says, “No one can take your place.” Please be prayerful on how to love, understand, and support your sisters. 

If you are the circle leader, you will start a group text for your sisters so you can all communicate with each other, or decide how members will communicate with each other. The leader will be responsible for organizing how your circle communicates and serves one another. This does not mean that the leader is in charge of doing all the work. Her job is to help organize and facilitate a plan for the group to serve and connect with each other.

Together you will need to figure out what ministering for your group will look like. Maybe once a month you want to get together for lunch, go hiking, have a playgroup, or go see a movie, have a white elephant party, do a service project, celebrate a birthday of someone in your circle, a recipe exchange, a dinner exchange, etc. etc.. Maybe you rotate within your group who is in charge of your communication each month. Maybe your group likes traditional visiting teaching and you want to pair up and visit each other. We just want you to connect and take care of one another. We want you to feel like you have a group of people that you can communicate with when you have a problem or a need. We want you to gather around and buoy up a sister in your group who needs love and support. We want you to “bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;” be willing to “mourn with those that mourn; yea and comfort those in need of comfort.”

We hope that you will understand that everyone is in a different place right now and we need to leave room for people to be and feel safe. You may need to figure out how best to love, serve, and support sisters in your circle who need a different kind of support. Some may need support from a distance, while others may be desperately seeking contact.  

You are amazing women! The Lord cannot do his work without you! We know you will be amazing!  We will check back with you periodically to see how this is working. Please engage. Please pray. Please serve. Please lean on your circle when you need to. 

Love,

Pam, Kerry, Amelia, and Sommer

Q&A: 

1. When will I find out what sister circle group I am in?
   Your district leader (Pam, Kerry, or Amelia) will be reaching out to you this week (by January 22nd) to let you know!

2. Will these groups ever change?
   Yes, just like previous ministering groups, they will change from time to time.

3. Will we have a ministering interview?
   Yes! It will be a one-on-one interview every few months by phone or in person.

4. Won’t it be difficult to coordinate a group of ladies together?
   Possibly, but don’t think of this as a once a month activity you set up but a continual conversation between a group. Maybe you share a favorite podcast you just listened to or send out a text inviting anyone available to meet up for a last-minute walk. Maybe a sister in your circle has a need you are aware of and you grab a few other sisters in your circle and help with: a shower or reception, dinner, cleaning, watching kids, bringing flowers, etc. Maybe you are switching dentists and you want to get a reference from your group!  Let the Spirit be your guide.

5. This seems strange, do you have approval to do this?
   Yes, we do! It will take some getting used to but we feel this will better meet the needs of the sisters in our ward. We hope you keep an open mind and use this as an opportunity to initiate friendships and connections with ladies in our ward you may or may not know! 

6. What about Covid? I don’t want my “sister circles” to turn into “Sister-sickos.”
   Participate in person as much as you feel comfortable. If you’re not feeling well, let the ladies in your circle know! 

7. What will the young women do for ministering?
   The Young Women will be ministering to the sisters in their YW groups.

8. I don’t know very many of the sisters in my circle.
   Lucky! Who doesn’t want 5-8 new friends?!

Suggestions on how to get started: 

• Group leader sets up a text group with all sisters in your circle. 

• Pray for each sister in your circle by name.

• Learn the names of their family members. 

• Share your life and build friendships.

• Seek to help each other feel God’s love.